2012 Everglades to Okefenokee

1000 Miles in 100 Days

Everglades to Okefenokee 2012 Expedition

1000 Miles in 100 Days

The team traversed the Everglades ecosystem into Big Cypress, over to the Everglades Agricultural Area, back to the Okaloacoochee Slough, across the Caloosahatchee, over to Babcock Ranch, back along Fisheating Creek toward Lake Okeechobee, up the Kissimmee River with excursions toward the Lake Wales Ridge, up the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, east around Orlando into Ocala National Forest, and ended at the Okefenokee Swamp on the Georgia/Florida border.. and north along the O2O corridor (Ocala to Osceola) to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

When:

January 17th – April 26th, 2012

“We want to show the world that it is still possible for a human or a bear to travel through green space from the Everglades at the southern tip to the Okefenokee Swamp in the north.”

– Carlton Ward

Why The Expedition?

The team’s goals were to bring attention to the need to connect these now disjointed wild areas, especially around road barriers. This is accomplished through a statewide network of support.

Funding Conservation Programs is Paramount

Federal and state conservation programs like Florida Forever and the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund need full funding. Florida land trusts also need support. Land trusts like the Conservation Trust for Florida (CTF) are responsible for thousands of acres of conservation land in north central Florida and the O2O Corridor.

Locally Focused Efforts are Key

Lee County has a corridor network it protects. Archbold Biological Station has identified important habitat corridors in Highlands County. Volusia County has its renowned program Volusia Forever, which has pieced together a natural corridor over time. CTF has worked tirelessly to develop the O2O. Other land trusts like Alachua Conservation Trust and the Putnam Land Conservancy have been effective agents within communities.

Ranches and Farms are the Backbone of the Critical Linkage Areas

During the trek, the expeditioners crossed over 23 private cattle ranches, many in various stages of defining and seeking protection. These lands support threatened wildlife, they absorb excess nutrients that pollute water, and enable the five century-old tradition of Florida cattle ranching to persist. Far from being marginal conservation land, the ranches are in many cases rich with endemic species and plant communities.